The Full Bred Phony
by Hawkeye116
Summary: Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto have been discovered some 500 miles southeast of Japan in the near future. Pokemon can't be caught, but are only sold. When one girl can't get a Pokemon because she can't afford one, she uses the next best thing: her dog.
1. The Poochyena

A/N: First Pokemon fanfic for me, this is. Talk like Yoda do I. Annoying much this is. Agree I hope you do.

Anyway, this is a crazy idea that I just fell in love with. Reviews are appreciated. I don't own anything relating to Pokemon. Yeah.

* * *

The Full-Breed Phony

Chapter One

* * *

Amari sighed in envy as her friend Yvonne cuddled with the little pink puffball of fur, the thing cooing and making rather cute and incomprehensible noises. But one noise was understandable enough: 

"Clef," babbled the furball. All of the girls grouped around Yvonne giggled or sighed at the utter cuteness before them in Yvonne's arms. Amari, however, found it rather annoying.

Curious, Amari questioned Yvonne about the cute little creature. "When are you going to start training it?" she asked.

Everyone became silent all of a sudden, and turned their heads towards Amari. Yvonne had raised her left eyebrow in slight scorn.

"What do you mean by 'training' Clefi, Amari?" Yvonne spat coldly.

Amari cringed slightly. "Well, you know, in the islands where Pokemon originated, everybody trained their Pokemon to get stronger so they could battle them against other Pokemon…" She trailed off as Yvonne and the girls grouped around her gasped in horror.

"Put Clefi in _battles_? Are you _insane_? What are you, some kind of animal-abuser?" Yvonne roared. Clefi screeched in her arms, but to no avail.

"No! I just… I've had experience with Pokemon before!" cried Amari.

Yvonne looked puzzled at first, and then a smug look crossed her face. "Oh. _Oh_! You think playing _video games_ counts as _experience_? And really, I thought you were _smart_, Amari. I guessed wrong, then. Well, I can't have a best friend who's stupid. Have a nice life, Amari!"

Yvonne then motioned for a girl to sit next to her. The girl shoved Amari to the side, giggling as Yvonne let her hold Clefi.

Amari stood up and walked away, dejected. Yvonne had always been a slight snob, she being an extremely rich only child. Of _course_ she would get a Pokemon—not just one of the video games or a toy, but a _real_ Pokemon. It had been only about five weeks ago when the islands of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, the Orange Islands, and various others had been discovered a few hundred miles southeast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean. The island countries were so small that they'd been missed all this time. It had taken a typhoon blowing a fisherman's ship off-course to crash-land on Johto.

The creators of the Pokemon franchise of video games hadn't known at all, all except for one. The first to think the Pokemon games up had been an actual trainer, before getting lost in a storm and having a slight amnesia.

Amari was a huge fan of Pokemon; she wanted one of the critters so badly that she'd even offered to do the dishes for a whole year if her parents would buy her one. But Pokemon were expensive and her family was going through a tough time, financially. Pokemon were only found on the islands; Pokeballs cost lots as well, and a trip to one of the islands was very much out of the question. If one was lucky, one might find a bird Pokemon around southern Japan. Amari didn't live in Japan. In fact, she was as far away as anyone could pretty much get. She was a middle-class American with single-minded parents that had to be bantered endlessly to even get a family pet.

Amari kicked the ground, sending up a small cloud of dust. She was on the same planet as real live Pokemon were. She should have one. But she _didn't_, and that was a major problem. All the rich kids got them in no time; she'd seen Pidgey perched in the trees of their owners' yards and Rattata scurrying along the streets pursued by their trainers; but it didn't matter. She wasn't rich so she didn't get one. It was just so unfair.

She sighed again. There wasn't any hope in the matter. It would be three months before she'd get a Pokemon, when they would be released into the wild for everyone to catch. She'd be fourteen and three quarters then. How awful to wait that long. And she'd lost her best friend. What a hideous day she'd been having. And it was only two o'clock in the afternoon.

She stomped into her house, slamming the front door on the warm midsummer's day outside. Amari crashed up the stairs, stormed to her room, slammed the door, and flicked on her Gameboy Advance, playing it until she fell asleep.

* * *

Amari woke up in the morning. It was about two weeks later. She stuffed a pillow over her head as she moaned loudly, trying to block out the sound of the annoying group of Loudred and Whismur next door. Her neighbors had bought a whole pack of the creatures, and they made more noise than a wrecking ball knocking down a house. It got really annoying in the mornings and at night when everyone was trying to sleep. Her parents wouldn't complain to the neighbors about it because they wanted to be on good terms with everyone. Amari cursed her parents slightly. They were too courteous for their own good. 

She rolled over in her bed, groaning some more. Everyone in the neighborhood over nine years of age had Pokemon now except for her and her parents. Amari's brother, Marin, didn't really care about Pokemon; he was an exception to the masses of people who owned them. Amari didn't care how Marin felt, though. The Pokemon one owned, and how strong it was now judged toughness. Marin was as weak as anyone could get. Of course, Amari was considered even weaker then him.

Even Yvonne had started training her Cleffa, which had already evolved into a Clefairy. Amari had heard some of her old friends talking about Yvonne's parents might buy the girl a moon stone for her Clefairy to evolve into a Clefable.

Amari frowned. The Loudred were being especially loud this morning. There was no way she was going to go back to sleep.

She sat up and got out of bed, dressing in appropriate clothing for the warm day. Trampling into the bathroom, she picked out a hair band and pulled her brown hair up in a ponytail. She pulled out the toothpaste out of a drawer and squeezed some onto her yellow and white toothbrush.

Amari glanced upward towards the mirror over the sink, staring into a reflection of her sparkling blue eyes as she scrubbed feverously with her toothbrush. She glowered at her reflection, staring disapprovingly at her misshapen nose and her uneven eyebrows.

Leaning down, Amari spat into the sink, took a swig of mouthwash and spat that out too, and tramped down the stairs to find something to do for the day. She decided to play outside with her dog. She could've been training her Pokemon this morning.

If she had a Pokemon, that is.

As she played outside with her dog, a large creature with black fur, she heard snickering behind her. Turning around, she glared at the group of people pointing and laughing at her in her driveway. Three in particular caught Amari's eye.

There was Yvonne, with what must've been a newly evolved Clefable and another Pokemon, a beautiful fire-fox Pokemon called Ninetales. There was Aaron, a boy two years younger than Amari who lived next door; a Loudred and two Whismur accompanied him. And finally there was Geki, the nephew of a Pokemon researcher who had moved to the neighborhood. Geki was Amari's age; he had black hair and even blacker eyes, and was an already-accomplished trainer—he was from Kanto. Four Pokemon who Amari recognized as Growlithe, Fearrow, Bellsprout, and Wartortle stood by his side.

Yvonne, Aaron, and Geki looked to be the strongest trainers present. They marched up to Amari.

"We see you finally have a Pokemon, Amari. A Poochyena, of all things! It's so fat!" taunted Yvonne.

Amari raised an eyebrow. A Poochyena? Where was the Poochyena?

Geki addressed her next. "We are the three best trainers in the neighborhood. You have to beat us in order to travel to the Pokemon Islands on your journey to capture Pokemon."

Aaron cut in, "We have to challenge everyone, as required by Geki's uncle, but we'll be going to Hoenn after we challenge one more person in the neighborhood—you! So, who do you want to loose to?"

Yvonne sniggered at the questioned. Aaron grinned evilly.

Amari looked puzzled. "What Poochyena?" she asked stupidly.

Yvonne doubled over, laughing. Aaron stared at her, foggy eyed. "_That_ Poochyena! The one you're playing Fetch with!"

Amari was stunned into silence as she saw Aaron pointing to her dog, Rover. She was going to object, but then—she realized that Rover really did look like a Poochyena. Her mind formed a brilliant scheme, and she smiled smugly.

"When are you guys leaving for Hoenn?" she questioned innocently.

"In a week," answered Geki, undaunted and rather bored.

"Oh. Well, I need some time to train my d—I mean, _Poochyena_." She laughed nervously.

There was an awkward silence, and then Aaron gave her a curt nod.

"Fine, but be ready for a battle in six days," he ordered. And with that, the crowd left her and Rover in the yard.

Amari stared after the departing trainers, and finally looked down to Rover. He stared at her curiously with amber eyes.

"Rover," Amari stated, "we have some training to do."


	2. The Preparation

A/N: Hi again! Ugh, why am I doing this? This didn't even get any reviews. But then, it got 12 hits… I should be updating my other stories. Sorry, the plot bunny wouldn't get out of my head when I started a new game in Silver Version about a week ago. No, I'm re-playing it; it's not my first time through, in case you were wondering.

Amari is starting to sound a bit too Mary-Sueish to me. I've thought up a major plot twist that will change her personality drastically and give this story a better plot than her winning the battle and going to Hoenn and collecting the badges and stuff. Nyahaha… Plot twist won't be coming until maybe a few chapters down the road, though. I'm not saying what it is, for those who are reading this.

Enough author notes. Time for the fic.

As always, I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

The Full bred Phony

Chapter Two

* * *

"Rover, Howl. Howl! I SAID HOWL!" shrieked Amari, rather frustrated. The training of Rover wasn't going as well as she had hoped originally. She only had two days left to train and Rover only executed the moves she'd tried to teach him half the time. 

Rover whimpered and rolled over, lifting him paws up. He began wagging his tail slightly, and barked in delight as Amari gave in and scratched his stomach.

Amari giggled. It was hard not to like Rover, even if he was a bit of a klutz. She still loved him all the same, as a member of her family.

'Dang,' Amari thought, 'I haven't told Mom and Dad about this yet. Well, maybe I just won't tell them until later…'

She'd told her mother that she'd been trying to teach Rover some new tricks, nothing more. Amari wondered if her parents suspected her of what she was doing.

'No, they don't know enough about Pokemon to suspect anything… I hope…' she pondered, trailing off.

She told Rover to get up. He protested with several guilt-instilling whines and cries. Amari smirked slightly.

"Get up, you lazy bum!" she exclaimed, jabbing him a little with her foot. Rover yelped, leaping up almost instantaneously. He wagged his tail and his tongue lolled carelessly out of his moth. Amari offered him a hug.

Finally, she gave the order for him to attempt to use Howl again. Rover just continued wiggling his tail, crying slightly as though to say that he was being deprived of food or a toy. Amari groaned, picking a small bit of a carrot from her pocket.

"Rover, you silly boy, this is for you if you do well in training today," Amari coaxed.

Rover's eyes followed the carrot as it swayed back and forth over his head, guided by Amari's hand and arm. He licked his chops, and thumped his tail feverously on the ground.

"All right, ready? Howl!" exclaimed Amari. For a split second, Rover sat still, wiggling his tail wildly. Then, he closed his eyelids and threw his head back towards the sky, emitting a spine-tingling, eerie cry like that of a wolf's.

"Good boy! You're such a good boy! Yes you are!" cooed Amari as she fed Rover the carrot. He devoured it within two seconds, begging for more.

"Oh, you want more? Well, not until you give me a TACKLE!" she yelled.

The great dog sprang from his rear haunches, bringing his paws to Amari's shoulders. The great and sudden force sent her crashing to the ground, with Rover on top of her. The wind was knocked out of her, as she lay spread-eagle on the ground.

Rover jumped off Amari's still-weak body and pushed his nose into her pocket, sniffing out the stash of carrots she'd been hiding from him. Amari watched weakly as Rover finally found the carrots and pulled them out of her pocket. She blinked and Rover had eaten all of the carrots that had been in her pocket.

The dog wiggled his tail and stared at Amari with his endearing amber eyes, begging for more treats. His owner laughed lightly, and patted him on the nose as she sat up.

'I am such a softy sometimes,' Amari mused.

"Okay, one last one. This one is a new one Rover. Are you ready?"

Rover barked happily in response.

"Alright, the move is Bite. You just have to bite your opponent and inflict some damage on him or her, got it?"

Rover barked again. He positioned himself across from Amari, waiting for her order.

"Ready? BITE!"

Rover sat for a moment. He picked up his hind leg and scratched behind his ear.

Amari hit her forehead in exasperation. Rover was such a dummy sometimes.

"No treat for you, then," Amari stated to Rover, turning to leave him.

He bounded up next to her, trying to look sad. She grinned.

"You want to try again? Okay, ready, Rover? Bite!" she yelled, and tossed a stuffed Pokemon into the grass. Rover charged toward it, securing the toy between his teeth, and flung his head around wildly, shredding the stuffed Pokemon to pieces. Amari's eyes grew wide, and she retreated back a step. "Are you okay, Rover?" she questioned.

Rover looked up at her differently. There was a light in his eye, and he was drooling. Amari blinked, and Rover was back to normal, though still drooling.

"You almost scared me there, Rover. C'mon, let's go inside for the night," she ordered. Rover howled in glee, sprinting towards the house where more treats would be.

* * *

The sun had not yet risen, but Amari was already up, pouring over Pokemon books for strategizing. Rover was lying next to her, his head in her lap. He was snoozing deeply, though Amari appeared to not have noticed. 

Today was the day she would have to battle Geki, Aaron, or Yvonne and beat one of them in order to start her Pokemon journey in the Pokemon Islands. She'd been training with Rover yesterday, and he'd executed three of the four moves he knew perfectly. He was still having a little trouble with Bite, but Amari wasn't worried about that.

She had decided that she would battle Aaron. It would only be a one-on-one battle, because she only had one Pokemon, and he would probably use his Loudred. Amari dearly hoped that Loudred wouldn't deafen Rover in the battle that was to be set after lunch, at 12:30. Even though it was about seven hours away, Amari worried about it every second.

For, you see, Amari was going to have her first real Pokemon battle today, and she didn't even own a real Pokemon.

And that probably was going to be a major problem for her.


	3. The Prevalence

A/N: Yay! I got three reviews! I feel oh so special! …Sarcasm…

But seriously, thanks so much for reviewing, guys. I really do appreciate it.

Okay, here we go! (BTW I don't own Hoenn, Kanto, Johto, Poochyena, Clefable, Wartortle, Butterfree, Beautifly, Beedrill, Sneasel, or Pokemon in general. I do however own our happy-go-lucky Rover (who soon won't be so happy-go-lucky…), Amari, Yvonne, Geki, Aaron, Amari's mom, Geki's uncle, and the concept that someone can train a regular dog to act as a Pokemon.)

* * *

The Full-Bred Phony

Chapter Three

* * *

She watched as the dog bounded happily around the yard, carefree in his actions, unknowing that he would have to fight something similar to himself within a few minutes. Amari felt a sort of pity for Rover. She hoped that she hadn't put too much pressure on him with this whole training thing. When training, she'd nearly forgotten the whole point of Pokemon: to make long-lasting friendships and obtain personal growth. 

"C' mere, you silly puppy!" Amari shouted out to Rover.

His ears pricked up and he turned towards her, tongue lolling and tail wagging furiously. Rover dashed over to his owner, promptly sitting in her lap. All the wind blew out of Amari as Rover sat on her. He was a big dog, and she was starting to feel faint from not being able to breathe.

"Rover… please… get… up…" she panted. Rover obliged, trotting off to go roll in the grass somewhere in the yard. Amari's eyes followed him as he thrashed randomly about in the grass. She caught sight of something above him, and her eyes trailed up to meet a group of approaching people.

No, not just people. Pokemon, as well.

_Oh, goodness_, thought Amari, frowning. "Rover! Get up! Come, follow me!"

The dog rolled over, lying on his belly, and glanced curiously at Amari. There were bits of dried grass stuck on his snout and ears.

"…Or, you could just stay there," she added.

She jogged past Rover towards the group of trainers from the neighborhood and their Pokemon. Rover was still rolling around in the grass, completely ignorant of the visitors, like he had been when the group of trainers had approached her the first time.

"Oy! Over here!" she yelled out to the trainers. Some twenty-two sets of eyes snapped straight at her, and suddenly she felt rather uncomfortable.

Three of the trainers, Yvonne, Aaron, and Geki, pushed their way forward and stopped a few feet from Amari.

"Er, hi," said Amari uneasily.

Yvonne raised an eyebrow, Aaron rolled his eyes, and Geki offered an indifferent "hello."

"I, um, choose to, um, battle, um, you, Aaron," she stated, still quite nervous. She felt as if there were wild Butterfree and Beautifly fluttering around in her stomach. No, now it felt more like hoards of Sneasel and Beedrill.

"Fine. One-on-one battle, right?" asked Aaron.

"Um, yeah."

Yvonne's eyes trailed down to Amari's waist, as though noticing something. "Hey, you don't have any Poke balls on your belt," she commented, "So where's your Poochyena?"

"Er—" started Amari, but Yvonne saw the thrashing Rover in the yard. She laughed. Amari frowned, furrowing her brow.

Rover's head snapped in the direction of Yvonne's laughter. Amari saw the dog's eyes surveying the girl without a second thought, and then, glancing lower, towards her Pokemon. His eyes glazed over demonically and he barred his teeth, snarling.

Before Amari knew what had happened, Rover was upon Yvonne's Ninetales, rolling around in the grass in a struggle to do as much harm as he could. Yvonne's laughter cut short straightaway.

"Hey, what is your Poochyena doing to Sunny?" cried Yvonne, "Oh, get it off her! Get it _off_ her!"

Amari gained a look of horror. "Rover, stop! Rover, _stop_! I SAID STOP!"

But no matter what Amari said, Rover continued on, pawing and biting the shocked Ninetales.

"Something has to be done, that Pokemon is out of control!" yelled Yvonne.

"Oh, for the love of cheese…" sighed Geki, "Go, Tsunami! Water Gun!"

"Tortle! Wartortle!" bellowed the Pokemon, apparently named Tsunami.

Tsunami opened her mouth and let out a furious jet of water at the back of Rover's head. Rover let go of the Clefable, and turned his attention to the Wartortle that had just soaked him, growling ferociously.

"Good job, Tsunami! Now, before it can hurt anyone else, Tackle!"

Tsunami let out a long stream of, "Tortle! Tortle! War! Tortle, War!" as she lunged at Rover. The dog surprisingly maneuvered out of the way just in time, resulting in a missing attack on Tsunami's part.

Geki gritted his teeth. "Come on, Tsunami! Forget Tackle! Use Bubblebeam!"

Tsunami opened her mouth once again, preparing to release a stream of bubbles.

"Hey Rover! Cut it out, will you? Please!" pleaded Amari. Rover looked up to Amari, and lost the demonic look in his eyes. He was himself again, somehow.

Tsunami blew the first bubble out of her mouth, several more following it.

"Geki! Please, it's okay! Tell Tsunami to stop! It's all right now!" called Amari.

"What! That thing is completely wild! There's no way a rookie like you can control it. It has to faint so that it won't be a danger to other Pokemon. Tsunami, use Bubblebeam again!"

Amari glared at Geki, her soft demeanor finally breaking through to the raging beast inside.

"Rover!" she bellowed, "Quick, dodge the bubbles!"

Rover rolled over on the grass and zigzagged this way and that to avoid the beam of fierce bubbles. He yelped whenever one hit him, and Amari winced, feeling his pain.

Now that Tsunami had finished with the attack, the two creatures stared down at each other viciously, awaiting orders from their masters.

"Tsunami, use Water Gun," ordered Geki.

"Geki, stop!" cried Amari.

"That thing has to be taken down! Will you listen, I know what I'm doing!"

Amari gritted her teeth together. "Fine! If a battle is what you want, that's exactly what you'll get. Rover, Howl!"

Rover sat back and threw his head up towards the sky, howling eerily. Tsunami hesitated, slightly intimidated.

"Tsunami, do it," Geki said calmly.

"Rover, Bite her before she can attack back!"

Rover howled once more, and charged at the Wartortle. Tsunami was still unsure what to do, her mouth hanging open carelessly.

At the last moment, Geki called out, "Withdraw, Tsunami!" Rover tried to Bite Tsunami's head, but to no avail: the Pokemon had withdrawn her head and limbs into her shell, and probably wasn't coming out any time soon.

Amari furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. "Rover, use Tackle to knock Tsunami out of her shell!"

Rover backed up, charged, and slammed into the Wartortle's shell with a great force. Indeed, Tsunami's head and body popped right back out of her shell. The Pokemon had a look of fear on her face.

"Rover, Bite!"

Rover sunk his teeth into the Wartortle's limb, and she screeched in pain on the impact.

"Again," ordered Amari. Rover bit in again. The Wartortle let out another screech.

"Finish her off with Tackle!"

Rover flung his body at Tsunami. Tsunami's eyes grew faint, and the Wartortle teetered from side to side until finally crashed on the grass, too weak to continue battling.

Following this, there were several moments of silence as all the trainers grouped around them stared at Rover, who had trotted over to Amari and was wagging his tail lovingly, or at the fallen Wartortle, Tsunami, on the ground.

At long last, Geki shook himself out of his shock. "Tsunami!" He rushed to the Pokemon's side, and finally recalled her into a Poke ball on his belt.

He walked back over to Amari. "Well done," he commented quietly.

"I—I'm sorry, I was—" started Amari.

"No, I was too ignorant to see you had control of your Poochyena. My apologies."

"Er…Thanks, and I'm sorry too…?"

"Yeah. I just wonder what caused him to go so ballistic like that? Why don't you bring Rover to my uncle's lab, he might have something to help him."

Amari gave a look of gratitude. "Thanks."

The crowd around her had begun to fade. People were uninterested now. At last, only Amari, Yvonne, Aaron, and Geki stood in the driveway. Yvonne was still cooing over her injured Ninetales, and Aaron was watching his two Whismur continually poking each other in play.

"What happens now that Amari's Poochyena beat your Wartortle?" Aaron asked Geki all of a sudden.

"I hadn't really thought about that. But that's not the important thing. The Pokemon that are ill should be our first concern."

"Mmhhmm," agreed Yvonne, "especially that absolutely _rabid_ Poochyena—"

"Hey!" whined Amari, "Don't call him that!"

"Rookies," muttered Geki. "Just quit arguing, will you? My uncle's lab is on the other side of the neighborhood, so we'll probably have to be there quite a while. Why don't you guys grab any stuff that you need? I'll wait for you."

The three trainers nodded and jogged off to their houses. Amari went inside, following Rover.

"Mom!" yelled Amari as she stormed the kitchen for some food and dog treats, and then her room for a book about Pokemon, "I'm going over to Geki Redwood's house and bringing Rover, is that alright?"

"What? Why bring Rover?" her mother hollered back. Amari grinned. Conversing from different sides of the house was almost a pastime of her family's, they did it so much.

"Because Yvonne and Aaron are going too, and they're bringing their Pokemon!"

"Oh alright! Just don't tear down their house!" bellowed her mother in response.

"Rover and I won't!" Amari yelled back. At least, she sure hoped that Rover wouldn't tear down the house.

Or worse, hurt more Pokemon.

* * *

A/N: Ta-da! Well, there's the sort of plot twist thing I thought up: Rover goes rabid when he sees Pokemon. Bwahahahaha! ...Er, yeah. Reviews are appreciated. 


	4. The Parting

A/N: So, I haven't touched this fic or this fandom in over a year. But I'm bored and this is a fun story, and I really don't care. I enjoy writing this even if the writing is crappy; I don't care if people think I'm stupid for liking Pokemon or whatever. So woohoo! A long-overdue update!

* * *

The Full-Bred Phony

Chapter Four

* * *

Amari patted Rover on the head, trying to comfort him as Professor Rowan, Geki's uncle, observed the dog. Rowan rubbed his chin in thought, staring at Rover's fur curiously. At last, the professor seemed to come to a conclusion. 

"Amari," he said, looking rather befuddled, "where did you buy your Poochyena?"

Amari's eyebrows sprang up in fright; she bit her lip, trying to think up a plausible lie. Something came to her, and before she knew it, she blurted it out.

"I bought him online," she lied.

"Hmm," pondered Rowan. He circled around Rover once more, still observing the dog's fur. "This Poochyena has a different kind of fur than I've seen in average Poochyena. His fur is darker than the average Poochyena, and it's glossier than what I've seen. Do you know what the parents of your Poochyena were? I'm thinking Rover might've had an Umbreon or a Houndoom for a father. His mother probably was a hybrid Poochyena as well…"

The professor trailed off. He sighed, frowning.

"The only explanation I can come with for his viciousness is that perhaps he had a Houndoom for a father. Otherwise, I don't see why he would attack Yvonne's Clefable. I'm sure with some more training, though, you'll be able to handle him completely."

Amari nodded. "Thanks, Professor. Do you have any specific training suggestions?"

Rowan rubbed his chin in thought. "Not really. Just keep doing what you're doing; according to what you told me, you were able to control Rover after a couple minutes, right?" Amari nodded. "Then you should be fine."

Yvonne tugged on the professor's sleeve impatiently. "And Sunny? Will she be alright?"

Rowan smiled happily. "Yes, of course, she just needs some rest. It's probably best that she doesn't do much strenuous exercise for tonight, though. You probably should leave her here to rest."

"Why don't you all just spend the night? We have plenty of extra rooms for you guys," Geki commented.

"Yeah, sure, that sounds cool. I just have to call my mom," Aaron replied, whipping out his cell phone, flipping it open, and dialing a number. Yvonne nodded in agreement.

"Well, I might as well, seeing as my stuff for the trip's already here…" Yvonne trailed off, crouching back down to pet her sleeping Ninetales on the head.

"Oh! That reminds me," Rowan stated, "the plane takes off tomorrow at six in the evening, so we need to leave here by three. Amari, have you talked with your parents yet? You might need to go home to pack."

Amari stared at him blankly. "I need to pack? Wha?"

Yvonne rolled her eyes. "Duh, Amari! You beat Geki, so you get to come with us! It'll be us four venturing out to Hoenn. We're going to take on Roxanne for our first badge, though, so you'll probably need some Pokeballs."

"P-pokeballs? Travel to Hoenn? Take on Roxanne? _Me_?" Amari stuttered in disbelief. Her previous life and times with Rover flashed before her eyes. She had entered into a trance, a near vegetative state, shock from her dream actually coming true. She was so stunned that she couldn't even string together coherent sentences, which Yvonne poked fun at her for.

"Don't be stupid, Amari. Don't you need to call your mom? Or I could call my chauffeur to get you a ride since it's a pretty long walk."

Amari teetered. "Hoenn? Pokemon? Me, a Trainer? Not possible… I'm dreaming… But gees, it is such a good dream…"

Yvonne huffed in indignation. "Are you _listening_ to me, Amari? We're supposed to be best friends! You're supposed to listen to what your best friend has to say!"

Geki, black eyes indifferent and bored, remarked, "Chill out, Yvonne, she's just excited. Uncle Rowan, you can give her a ride home to pack and talk to her parents, right? I'll look after the Pokemon while you're gone and help Aaron and Yvonne get their rooms."

"That sounds perfect, Geki," Rowan agreed. "Rover can stay here; Amari, come with me."

Still muttering in disbelief, Amari followed Rowan after a slight push from Yvonne. Rowan led her outside and to his car, an old, green, beat-up pick-up truck. He got into the driver's seat and she opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. The whole ride home she stared out the window, eyes glazed over, determined not to wake up from this perfect dream she was having.

* * *

Professor Rowan spoke with her parents about the trip, about her circumstances, about what an honor it was to be chosen and about what a great opportunity it was for Amari. Amari only half-listened as she practically flew through the house, grabbing whatever she needed and stuffing it into a large duffel bag. She took her Pokemon strategy books with her, her stuffed Azumarill, her toothbrush, a CD player, assorted clothing, a flashlight, and whatever else she found that she thought she might need. As she zipped her bag up, she realized she had too much stuff; and so, she undertook the process of unloading some the excess junk she had packed right in the same room as Rowan and her parents. When she was finally finished, she took a deep breath. 

"I'm ready," she said quietly. Professor Rowan stopped in mid-sentence, taking a couple of steps back and gesturing for Amari to speak with her parents. She looked up at her mother first, the nurturing woman who cared for her for nearly fifteen years. Amari dropped her bag unceremoniously and engulfed her mother in a tight hug. Tears ran down her cheeks; even if her dream was coming true, parting with her mom was still hard.

"I'm proud of you, Amari," Amari's mother whispered softly into her daughter's ear. Then she embraced Amari even more tightly, clutching to her beloved daughter.

"I love you, mom," Amari said through her tears. Finally she released her mother from her bear hug. She turned to her father, who patted her shoulder affectionately.

"Thanks, dad," Amari told her father quietly. And then, she asked, "Where's Marin?"

A tapping on her shoulder caused her to twist around. Her brother stood there, his glasses magnifying his eyes. A book was clasped in his hand. He held out a hand to her, saying, "Congratulations, Amari. Have a fun time."

Amari smirked and encompassed Marin with her arms. He squirmed uncomfortably in her grasp, but she wouldn't let go. "Try not to be an absolute nerd while I'm gone," Amari joked. Marin smiled weakly, but was glad when Amari let him go.

She took a couple steps back, soaking in the environment, knowing that this was the last time she would see her family in a while. "Bye," she said. Rowan nodded politely and thanked Amari's parents, and then finally the two of them went out the front door and back into the professor's worn pick-up truck.

"Excited?" Rowan inquired as he backed out of Amari's driveway. She nodded a little, silent, thoughtful, scared and so afraid and so eager for the future.

"I want it to come all at once and not at all," she explained after a minute of absolute quiet. "I'm not quite sure what to feel."

Rowan chuckled. "You remind me of when Geki was first starting out; he was the same way."

Amari bobbed her head in accord, still reveling in the fact that all of this might actually be happening. This could not be a dream. It was not a dream.

And if it was, then it was the best dream she'd ever had.


	5. The Plane

A/N: Thank you to my one reviewer! I'm surprised someone actually reviewed. Ah, whatever. This will continue onward, then.

This chapter is a bit uneventful, but it does help set up a bit of the plot.

* * *

The Full-Bred Phony

Chapter Five

* * *

When Amari woke up the next morning, she wasn't in her own room or in her own bed. She wondered vaguely where she was, and what she was doing here. Cracking open her eyes slightly and wincing as bright sunlight filtered through the open blinds, she gradually took in her surroundings: a bookshelf was below the window, filled with miscellaneous Pokemon information books. A small wooden desk was located next to the bookshelf but a bit away from it; it was arranged neatly with a desk lamp and a stack of paper and a box of pens for convenient use. The only other things in the room were an empty dresser with a few decorations atop it, a shelf with a Pokemon doll, and a little nightstand next to the bed with a clock. It was ten o'clock in the morning, according to the digital clock, its red number illuminating what sunlight didn't. 

She glanced down and next to the dark nightstand was a blue duffel bag bearing a luggage tag with her name on it. The events of the previous week flooded back into her mind: she hadn't been dreaming. She was going to Hoenn, and the plane left today; she'd be traveling with Yvonne and Aaron and Geki. The four of them would take on the gym leaders of Hoenn and earn the badges, maybe even make it to Ever Grande City. But that was if they got really far, if they did really well. That speculation was for a time in the future.

Yawning widely, Amari sat up in her bed, setting her feet down on the carpeted floor. She pulled on a tee shirt and some jeans from her bag, drew her hair back with a blue hair elastic, and generally readied her self for the day. Once she had finished with her everyday hygiene routines, she took one last look around the guest room, gathering what she needed and stuffing it into her duffel bag. She left the bag in the room, for it would be a while before Professor Rowan drove her and the others to the airport. Following her own footsteps from the night before, she found her way through a long hallway with many doors and closets and storage rooms. Amari finally found the kitchen, where Aaron and Geki were cooking pancakes. Yvonne was absent, probably still asleep, and Rowan also, probably attending to some Pokemon.

"Morning," Aaron greeted, his Whismur making a whole lot of noise all the while.

"Pancake?" Geki offered. Amari nodded, taking a plate that Aaron had given her and dishing up two pancakes onto her plate.

"Syrup and butter in the fridge?" she asked to no one in particular, still too half-asleep to speak in anything other than fragments even though it was somewhat late in the morning.

"Second shelf," Geki answered nonchalantly.

"Whismur!" shouted the Whismur, flopping its giant ears cutely. Whismur made its way over to Amari and the fridge, its padded footsteps falling lightly on the kitchen floor. The Pokemon banged on the floor and fridge, calling out its name every few seconds for an added effect. It is a very noisy Pokemon, Amari noted.

She opened the fridge and the Whismur jumped up to the second shelf, shuffling around for the syrup while Amari's eyes scouted around for the butter. Geki watched, mildly amused. Aaron sighed, but it wasn't in disappointment or sadness, more an exasperation with his Pokemon's antics.

"Wiz is just a very excited Pokemon, I think," he said. "Not sure why I picked him out of the entire crowd of Loudred and Whismur; he just kind of stood out, I guess."

Amari smiled slightly as Wiz tumbled his way between the tupperware and containers of food and to the front of the shelf, syrup in his grasp. He held it out to Amari happily, adding emphasis with a boisterous string of "Whismur! Whismur!"

Halfway through her second pancake, Yvonne stumbled into the kitchen, her hair disheveled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Grinning evilly, Amari bent down in her seat, snatched up Wiz, and traversed the length of the room to hold out the loud Pokemon in front of Yvonne.

"Whismur!" it yelled. Yvonne screamed and then glared.

"That wasn't funny, Amari."

"I thought it was," commented Aaron.

"Aw, Yvonne, Wiz likes you! Give him a hug," Amari teased. The Pokemon let out another shout of "Whismur!" and flapped his ears eagerly.

"There is no way we're traveling on a plane for thirteen hours with that thing tagging along," Yvonne complained.

"Oh, heavens no!" exclaimed Professor Rowan. Yvonne and Amari jumped.

"Whoa, when did you get here?"

Rowan smiled. "Well, you guys are flying internationally, so there is some paperwork to fill out. Also, I got your ferry tickets."

"Ferry tickets?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Yes, you'll be taking a ferry ride to Hoenn from Tokyo, since Hoenn doesn't have an international airport just yet. But just to let you know, in order to gain access to the ferry, you have to compete in a series of Pokemon battles, acting as a team; ferry tickets alone won't get you to Hoenn."

"…Battles?"

"Why didn't you tell us before?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't even aware of it until just recently. You have to understand, if they allowed tourists to just start coming to the Pokemon Islands, the whole ecosystem might collapse. With more and more Trainers, there are less Pokemon to capture. Wild Pokemon are unique only to the Pokemon Islands; if humans just came in by the hundreds of thousands, which would introduce a disturbance to the environment that the Pokemon weren't expecting.

"It's a very complicated matter, but only a few choice people are being permitted into the Pokemon Islands, and only Trainers who might do well against the Gym Leaders. Security is a major issue, too. You guys only got these tickets because Geki's already a registered Trainer of Kanto and because I vouched for you four, if you mind me not being humble for a second or so."

A moment of thick silence hung in the air as the four Trainers soaked in all that Rowan had said. And then, Amari said, "Oh," very quietly.

It was going to be an interesting trip. Who knew if they'd even be able to get to Hoenn?

It's a gamble, Amari thought, but it's so worth it.

* * *

The plane ride was uneventful, mostly. Yvonne slept, Aaron bobbed his head while listening to music on his iPod, and Geki read a novel. Amari stared out the window, wondering about what it would be like to battle as a team against other potential Trainers to get access to the ferry. The whole system was intricate and weeded out the good from the mediocre and the bad. 

She sighed. If the plane ride was uneventful, then getting through security had been anything but. Rowan had given Amari a Pokeball to hold Rover in; and the dog had actually gone into the red and white ball. But, as she wore it on her belt in the airport, it had set off the metal detector, its inner workings made entirely out of metal. That had taken a good half-hour to sort out. Amari had been mortified as Professor Rowan explained to a doubting airport security officer that the Pokeball contained a Pokemon that would be of absolutely no harm to any of the other passengers or the airplane or the airplane staff.

Amari shook her head, recalling the embarrassment, but let it pass; she was tired.

And so, she slept.

* * *

When the plane landed, a woman named Misa met with them once they'd crossed through security again. That ordeal had taken another hour or two. Between the grumpiness of the four Trainers and their inability to speak Japanese, the short journey had taken much longer than necessary. The good thing about Misa was that she spoke both English and Japanese. Even though some people spoke broken bits of English, it was still hard. Misa acted as a translator for them and escorted them to the place near the coast where the battles would take place. She showed them around, presenting the makeshift Pokemon center and the small hotel where they'd stay while the tournament of Pokemon battles commenced. 

Many other Trainers were in the same situation as Amari and her friends. The other Trainers were foreigners from all over the world, also being guided by a Japanese-speaking interpreter. Yvonne greeted a group of two French boys and a girl. She didn't like the girl, Genevieve, but she loved Pierre and Jean Claude. Aaron met a Mexican who he conversed with in Spanish. Amari was only able to follow a bit of the conversation, for she didn't know much Spanish. Geki greeted what Amari could only assume was another Kantonian; the two spoke in a language she'd never heard.

When she asked him about it, he told her it was the language common to the Pokemon Islands. It was a language similar to the oriental languages of Japan and the mainland, but still very different. Geki said that he understood very little to no Japanese; but the Islanders' language came to him easily, because it was his native language. He would be teaching her, Yvonne, and Aaron how to speak the Islanders' language while they were staying for the tournament. But he also added that most people of the Pokemon Islands had learned Japanese and English for trading and economic purposes, as told to Geki by his friend the already-registered Kantonian Trainer.

Finally Yvonne and Aaron grew tired of speaking with the foreigners, and the two of them came back over to Geki and Amari.

"Where's Misa?" asked Yvonne.

"I think she went to go help another group. We can ask Keiji, though, for some help," Geki said.

"Hi," Keiji greeted. He had six Pokeballs on his belt; Amari thought him a very experienced Trainer from his looks. "I can check the list for you guys; I'm sure Misa wouldn't mind."

After they received their room numbers, they trampled up the stairs, exhausted and ready for sleep. Yvonne and Amari's room was right across the hall from Aaron and Geki's.

"Night," called Amari softly as they entered their rooms.

"Sleep well," mumbled Aaron as Amari closed the door behind her.

She dumped her bag on the floor, released Rover from his Pokeball, and was asleep before she flopped down onto her bed. She dreamt of nothing in particular.


	6. The Puzzlement

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update this, but, as payment for the lateness, here's an extra-long chapter. First battle of the Tournament for Amari and co., woo!

* * *

The Full-Bred Phony  
Chapter Six

* * *

The four Trainers sat in the hotel lobby together, sipping hot chocolate and tea. Amari was staring out the large window overlooking a dark blue ocean, the gray horizon of a dull, cloudy morning framing the body of water. A small beach with sand and long grasses rolling in the wind took up the expanse of space between the ocean's edge and the parking lot of the hotel. To the east of the hotel was the makeshift PokeCenter, a dingy little shack in comparison to the hotel.

As Amari stared out the window, she heard her traveling companions discussing strategies for the Tournament. The four Trainers would have to pick only six of their Pokemon to use during the Tournament, and they were still debating a lot over which variation of Pokemon would work best. They all agreed that a balanced team was absolutely essential, but beyond that, there was no more concurrence. Yvonne was currently hacking it out with Aaron over which Fire Pokemon would be better to use: Sunny, her Ninetales, or Blaze, Geki's Growlithe.

"Sunny is an evolved form! She's got to be stronger than the Growlithe; I trained her hard with Clefi," argued Yvonne. Her voice was loud and screechy, near yelling.

"Peh," spat Aaron, "Blaze has battled and won against other Trainers before. Geki, tell Yvonne how Blaze was the reason why you earned the Rainbow Badge. Maybe she'll listen then, if she knows what her Pokemon is up against."

Geki sighed. "Stop arguing; it's not helping anything," he ordered. Yvonne and Aaron promptly shut up. "Ninetales is probably stronger than Blaze. Have Sunny enter the Tournament as our Fire Pokemon."

Aaron pouted. "Fine, but LD gets to go in over Clefable."

"What? That Loudred does nothing but make a lot of noise! How will that help us?" Yvonne roared.

Amari turned her head. "Yvonne, let it rest. Sunny's already in the Tournament; besides, Clefi isn't feeling her best, is she?"

Yvonne lowered her head. "Fine, whatever."

"Is Rover going to be in the Tournament?" Amari asked curiously. She wondered how her dog would fare against real Pokemon.

"He's a Dark type, right?" said Aaron.

"Sure, he's in," Geki approved.

"So, LD, Rover, Sunny," Amari counted on her fingers, "Who else is going in?"

"Tsunami, definitely," Aaron said before Geki could answer Amari.

Amari nodded. "Yeah, she's strong. But there are still two slots for Pokemon…Will they be yours, Geki?"

"I guess Sprout and Kamikaze will be the last ones to enter, then," he stated.

"Sure, sounds cool. So, let's see… Loudred, Ninetales, Poochyena, Wartortle, Fearrow, and Bellsprout? Sounds like a pretty good team. Don't we need a team name, though?"

"How about Team Rowan? Is that good?"

"Sure."

A moment of silence rang as they finished off their drinks. Aaron's cell phone rang, and he picked it up, speaking to someone on the other end. Amari wasn't quite sure who it was, but when Aaron hung up his phone, he told his companions, "We have our first match tonight at seven. It's against another team from the US."

"Really?" piped up Yvonne.

"What's their team like?" inquired Amari.

"All I know is that we're facing off with Team Spark of the USA at noon. That's what the Tournament manager told me," Aaron stated matter-of-factly. "But we'd best choose who's going to act as the representative for our team at the match."

"Me! Most definitely me!" Yvonne declared. Not wanting to argue over another issue, the team just decided to stick with it. Yvonne would have to do her best while they helplessly watched her efforts from the sidelines.

* * *

"And now, the final preliminary match-up of the West Division, Team Rowan of the USA versus Team Spark of the USA! Representing Team Rowan, Trainer Yvonne and her team of Ninetales, Loudred, Poochyena, Wartortle, Bellsprout, and Fearrow," announced the announcer exuberantly. Amari clapped her hands and shouted; Aaron cheered beside her, and Geki looked on the scene below, uncharacteristically tense.

"And, representing Team Spark, Trainer Leah and her team: Jolteon, Pichu, Elekid, Magneton, Chinchou, and Mareep." A burst of applause from the other side of the battle stage erupted, and cheers such as "Thunder 'em into oblivion!" and "Thunderbolt them before they know what's happened!" were heard over the loud cheering.

"Now," said the announcer, trying to build suspense, "the referee will explain the rules."

The referee stood in the center of the arena; Yvonne was on one end, Leah from Team Spark on the other. Raising his arms to draw attention, the referee began to speak. "This battle will be a six-on-six battle. No items may be used. Pokemon may be switched out only after a previous Pokemon has fainted. When all six of a Trainer's Pokemon have fainted, the Trainer with Pokemon left standing is the winner. In the event of a draw, a seventh Pokemon will be chosen from each team and used to battle in a one-on-one sudden death match. Cheating of any type will not be tolerated. Am I understood?"

Yvonne nodded her head eagerly. The tension was mounting, and the battle hadn't even begun. Yvonne's opponent looked just as determined as Yvonne, face emotionless and eyes concentrated.

"Well, then, begin!" shouted the referee. The spectators applauded as the two Trainers released their first Pokemon.

"Sunny, go!" Yvonne released her Ninetales, the beautiful Pokemon landing gracefully on the floor of the arena.

"Jolt, you're up first," said Leah as she let an intimidating Jolteon out of its Pokeball. Electricity sparked through its jagged yellow fur. "Jolt, let's finish this quick. Thunderbolt!"

The Jolteon charged up its electrical attack, yellow sparks jumping over its body. "Jolteon!" it screeched as it unleashed a savage thunderbolt towards Ninetales.

"Sunny, use Quick Attack to dodge it," ordered Yvonne confidently. Sunny started to run forward and then flashed out of sight, reappearing not that far away from Jolt, slamming into the Pokemon. "Now," Yvonne continued, fists clenched, "Use Fire Spin to trap Jolteon."

Taking a deep breath, Sunny unleashed a wreath of fire that encompassed Jolt on all sides. Jolt growled angrily, tearing its head from side to side, looking for an escape. There was none, though. Jolt was at Sunny's mercy.

"Jolt, concentrate!" The Pokemon's ears picked up, and it looked to its Trainer for instructions. "Try a Thunder Wave," Leah ordered. Bearing its teeth, the Pokemon charged electricity again and rushed Sunny. Jolt yelped in pain as the fire licked its side, scorching its jagged fur. The Jolteon crashed into Sunny; Sunny screeched and toppled over. Panting, the Jolteon collapsed as well. Its underside was singed; it had a burn that has weakened it considerably.

Sunny wasn't faring much better. She hadn't moved anything but her eyes since colliding with Jolt. The powerful Thunder Wave had paralyzed her. "Sunny! Come on, you can do this!" called Yvonne. Struggling greatly, Sunny finally opened and closed her mouth. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Leah, the opposing Trainer, recognized that her Pokemon was severely weakened, so it wouldn't be able to do much. "Be quick while it's still down, Jolt. Thundershock attack!" Electricity leaped from its fur and towards Sunny's body.

"Ninetales," Sunny cried in pain. Jolt's teeth were gritted, but it was utterly tired out; it collapsed again, licking at its burn.

"Sunny, you've got to protect yourself! Use Ember attack," declared Yvonne, concern evident in her voice. She didn't want Sunny to be hurt too badly. And her team was relying on her, too.

Inhaling slowly, Sunny spat a fireball at her opponent. Crying out, the Jolteon collapsed one more time. It did not get up again.

"Jolteon has fainted!" declared the referee.

"Trainer Leah of Team Spark must use a new Pokemon now," observed the announcer as Leah recalled Jolt and sent out a Chinchou. The dual Water/Electric Pokemon's antennae glowed in eagerness.

"Chou! This Pokemon's really weak, and we've got a type advantage. Finish your opponent with Water Gun!" commanded Leah. The Chinchou walked up to the paralyzed Ninetales, uttered a single "Chou" and squirted Sunny in the face with a blast of water. Sunny promptly fainted, having taken too much damage from her previous opponent.

"Ninetales has fainted," the referee stated.

"You did really well, Sunny," Yvonne said softly as she recalled her Ninetales. Looking over the Chinchou, she thought it over hard. Finally, she picked a Pokeball off her belt. "Sprout," she said, staring down at the Pokeball, "I know I'm not your Trainer, and that I'm not all that experienced, but I need your help."

The Pokeball opened and released the small flower Pokemon from its containment. The Bellsprout spread its leaves, opening its mouth wide, awaiting orders. Yvonne was about to give an instruction when Leah cut in with a, "Chou! Spark attack!"

The electric attack sizzled from the Chinchou's antennae, streaking rapidly and viciously through the air towards Sprout. Upon colliding with Sprout's body, it sparked over Sprout's stem and leaves, leaping all over Sprout's tough outer covering. Sprout, impervious to the attack, just tilted its head and looked curiously over at the Chinchou that had attacked it.

"What?" Leah practically yelled, furious.

"Ha, that's right!" declared Yvonne. "Electric attacks have no effect on Grass Pokemon. Sprout, Vine Whip!"

Sprout charged the Chinchou, striking at its sides with short vines that extended from its body. The Chinchou yelped out in pain, curling in a ball to defend itself as best it could, trying to escape the vicious vines by creating as small a target as possible. But Sprout was as accurate as ever; she may have looked weak, but Geki had trained her well.

"Yes, Sprout! Nice job!" cheered Yvonne as the Chinchou fell over in a complete faint.

"Humph," Leah said indignantly. "Well, if you're going to play type-immunity, then so can I. Magnet, go!" The three joined Magnemites that made up a Magneton emerged from Leah's Pokeball, emitting metallic sounds as well as some beeps for good measure. The six horseshoe-shaped magnets attached to it by a magnetic field waved around enthusiastically, ready for battle.

Yvonne clenched her teeth. Both Grass and Poison moves were no good against Steel type Pokemon; Leah had recognized this and used it to her advantage. The only other moves Sprout knew were Normal type, and those weren't good against Steel either. The only hope would be to put the Magneton to sleep with Sleep Powder and hammer away at the Magneton until it fainted or until it woke up and knocked out Sprout.

"Magneton! Don't be afraid of that joke-for-a-Pokemon; it can't hurt you. Go ahead and Sonicboom it," shouted Leah. Magnet swung its magnets around, summoning up a swirl of energy. The Sonicboom whirled in the air of the battlefield and tore its way to Sprout. Sprout tried to avoid it, but it still hit. Though the attack hadn't appeared to do much damage, it still was damage inflicted; and thus, it would continue. "Again, Magnet!" called Leah. The Magneton repeated its previous actions, readying another Sonicboom to be fired at Sprout.

"Sprout, this can't continue! Put that over-confident Sonicboomer to sleep with Sleep Powder!"

Sprout spoke its acceptance of the plan with a sharp, staccato "Bellsprout!" It sent flurries of the powder from its skin to where Magnet hung in midair. The cloud of the sleep-inducing dust was all consuming and inescapable; after a minute, when the cloud cleared, Magnet was asleep, hovering calmly over the ground.

"Magnet, wake up," called Leah irritably. The Pokemon snoozed on, oblivious to its Trainer's frustrated shouts or the spectators' gasps at the sudden turn of events.

"Hmm," mused Yvonne, "Sprout's attacks will barely affect that Magneton…If only there was a way to make it so that her attacks are stronger…"

The Bellsprout turned around, drawing the attention of its substitute, temporary Trainer. It waved its leaves around and chanted "Bellsprout!" as if speaking to Yvonne. Sprout then closed its eyes; at first, nothing happened, but then its leaves grew larger. The Pokemon opened its eyes again, staring directly at Yvonne as if it was seeking her approval.

Yvonne grinned. "Of course! How could I forget the Growth technique? Sprout, keep using your Growth technique until you feel you're strong enough to inflict some major damage on that Magneton."

The Pokemon turned back to the still sleeping Magneton, but did not focus on its opponent; rather, it focused on itself, utilizing its Growth technique to gain strength as the Magneton slept on.

"Magnet!" Leah kept calling furiously. The Pokemon would not awaken, no matter how much or how loud she pleaded with it and yelled at it. She was just making a fool of herself in front of all the spectators; she had to think up a new strategy, but that didn't look very promising at the moment. She would have to wait it out until the Bellsprout attacked Magnet; hopefully, the impact would cause the Pokemon to wake up.

Amari stared on at the battle in amazement; Yvonne was doing pretty well, considering the circumstances. She was impressed with the battle so far. Leah and Team Spark looked to be good competition, but she had faith in Yvonne and the Pokemon of Team Rowan.

"Keep it going, Sprout!" called Geki, swelling with pride for his beloved Pokemon.

Amari smiled. "Sprout's quite intelligent, isn't she? You raised her well."

Geki nodded, a faint grin on his face. "Sprout's not one to be underestimated," he commented in agreement.

Back on the battlefield, Sprout opened its eyes and glanced up at Yvonne. Its leaves were significantly enlarged and strengthened, enough to do plenty of damage to the opposing Magneton. "Sprout," Yvonne said calmly, "are you ready to try it? How about a Razor Leaf, then!"

"Bellsprout!" bellowed Sprout, firing a flurry of leaves at its adversary. The leaves left several scratches on the Magneton; it tumbled around in its sleep, but didn't wake.

"Again, Sprout! This time, try focusing in on one particular spot," directed Yvonne. Sprout let loose another flurry of leaves, but these ones weren't just randomly slicing at Magnet. Rather, they were aimed, accurate; they sliced away at one particular scratch on the Magneton's body, eventually cutting deeply into the Pokemon's side. Magnet screeched and awoke, angered and gone crazed from pain. It fired shot after shot of electricity at Sprout, who blocked the sparks with its leaves.

"Try a Vine Whip, Sprout," Yvonne advised. The Pokemon lashed at the frenzied Magneton with vines that extended from its body. The vines whipped at the deep gash Sprout's Razor Leaf had already inflicted.

Magneton, confused and considerably weakened already, couldn't handle another blow. It crumpled to the ground. Yvonne gave a shout; in the audience, Geki was clapping earnestly, yelling, "Sprout, that's two down! Three more to go!"

Suddenly, a coat of bright light covered Sprout's entire body. The Pokemon's outline changed and contorted, and slowly the light faded. Where a successful Bellsprout had stood before now sat a newly evolved Weepinbell. The audience burst into applause; it was rare to see a Pokemon evolve during battle. But back in the stands, Geki sat, his expression of pride and joy completely gone.

"Sprout…evolved?" Geki said slowly.

Amari looked at him with concern. "What is it?"

"It's just that, no matter how much I trained with Sprout, and no matter how happy she was, she never evolved. She didn't evolve for me, but she evolved for Yvonne. It's kind of…weird to know that your Pokemon changed so drastically without you being there to guide it and help it become accustomed to its new body. I trust Yvonne, but a fierce battle such as this, and without her real Trainer, Sprout might have some trouble." He paused, biting his lit. "I'm worried," he admitted honestly.

"Cheer up!" laughed Aaron, patting Geki on the shoulder. "Here, have some popcorn." Amari's attention shifted back to the battle.

"Go, Elekid," cried Leah as she released the small electric Pokemon into the battlefield. The Pokemon sparked, healthy and set for battle. Though it wasn't evolved, it would still be a tough opponent; Leah had raised Elekid herself, and taught him a set of valuable moves through TMs.

"Sprout! Um, Weepinbell? Whatever. Just use your Acid attack!" Sprout fired a burning acid out of its mouth; the acid landed on Elekid's delicate body and caused a deal of damage. "Again! Acid attack."

"Block it with Light Screen, Elekid!" shouted Leah. The acid was deflected as a shield appeared in front of Elekid. "Now, use Psychic." Elekid closed its eyes and sent a wave of sheer psychic energy at Weepinbell. The Pokemon, being a Poison type, wasn't immune to the attack; it survived the blow, but just barely.

"Quick, Sprout, finish Elekid off with Razor Leaf," shouted Yvonne. Sprout, having recovered from the psychic blow, shot a cluster of leaves at Elekid. The leaves, rather than being blocked by Light Screen, went around the shield; Sprout had enough smarts to know to direct the leaves around the shield, hitting the opponent fiercely. Though Elekid was a speedy and strong attacker, it had a very low defense. It fainted upon impact with the leaves.

"Unbelievable," muttered Geki.

"That Pokemon is ridiculously good!" declared a girl sitting behind Amari, Geki, and Aaron. She had a British accent; she was dressed very nicely, and had a pair of frameless glasses on that made her appear incredibly intelligent.

"Huh?" Amari said, turning around, her eyes prompting the British girl to continue.

Adjusting her glasses, the girl said, "That Pokemon right there can formulate its own winning battle strategies, as shown when it took on the Magneton, so it's incredibly analytical, a wonderful strategist. It takes into account its opponent's moves, such as that Elekid's Light Screen, and finds ways to overcome them. Notice how it aimed its leaves _around_ the Light Screen? Also, though most Pokemon are incredibly awkward immediately after evolution, due to their unfamiliarity with their body, this Weepinbell just picked up right where it left off and seems unaffected by the evolution. If anything, it's much stronger, and must more resistant to attacks as well, seeing as how it survived that Psychic attack. It's a smart, strong Pokemon. Makes me wish I was its Trainer."

Geki rounded on the girl, glaring at her. "I'm Sprout's Trainer," he told her. His voice was emotionless, without intimidation or humility, but his eyes said it all: he was furious. Sprout was his Pokemon; no, not just Pokemon, but friend. At least, they had been friends when Sprout had been a Bellsprout. Sprout seemed to have changed greatly since its evolution not that long ago, and it concerned Geki.

"_Really_," commented the British girl, her eyebrows rising. It was a sort of challenge, but for what, Amari didn't know.

Geki kept his cool, the heat in his gaze dampening down. "Yes. She's very smart." He turned back around in his seat and kept focused on the battle, where Leah had released her Mareep. Aaron was oblivious to the entire exchange, cheering on Sprout as she dominated the battlefield yet again; Amari, feeling strange, shrugged.

"Elizabeth, Team Quintessence," the girl introduced herself as before Amari could turn away.

"Amari, Team Rowan," Amari returned.

Elizabeth smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile. "American, are you?"

Amari nodded, very much disliking the awkwardness of the encounter.

"I'm from England, in case you're wondering," Elizabeth informed Amari.

"Nice meeting you," Amari muttered before quickly turning back to the battle.

"What did I miss?" she asked Geki. Wordlessly, he thrust his hand out, his index finger pointing at a Mareep that was toppling over.

Amari gasped. "The Mareep fainted _that quickly_?"

Geki nodded, frowning. He rubbed his temples, watching as Yvonne and Sprout finished off the battle against Leah's last Pokemon, Pichu. The Pichu managed to finally knock out Sprout with a Mega Punch. The Weepinbell had been significantly weakened from all its battling, but it had done well.

"Sprout, you did awesome," Yvonne said softly as she recalled the powerful Pokemon back into its Pokeball.

Back in the stands, Amari remarked, "Wow. That was something."

"Sprout completely dominated! You've got awesome Pokemon, Geki!" exclaimed Aaron enthusiastically.

Geki opened his mouth as if to speak, but he shut it as the girl behind them spoke again.

"What a disappointment," muttered Elizabeth, wiping her glasses on her shirt. "To think that such a brilliant, evolved Pokemon as that couldn't even beat a _Pichu_, of all things…"

Geki spun around, anger finally evident on his face. "Sprout took out four strong Pokemon! How is she a disappointment? And her evolution had nothing to do with it; it was hard work and training that made her strong," he spat.

Amari's eyes widened. She had never seen Geki like this; it was obvious that he was upset about Sprout, but she didn't know that it had affected him that much. He really loved his Pokemon, she realized, even if he didn't display much emotion that often.

Elizabeth smirked. She had Geki right where she wanted him. "How would you know what makes Weepinbell strong? It didn't even evolve for you. And now it's different from the Bellsprout you knew. Are you certain you are a qualified enough Trainer to handle Weepinbell?"

Amari was certain that Geki would be confident, strong, calm; that he would tell Elizabeth off, saying that it was love, not power, that determined how qualified a Trainer was. But he shocked her yet again. He lowered his head, wordless. Amari was about to comfort him, but Aaron interrupted her thoughts.

"Amari, look! Rover is battling now!"

"What?" she said, eyes tearing to the battlefield. Sure enough, Rover was out, jumping this way and that to avoid Pichu's electric attacks.

"Rover, Faint attack!" yelled Yvonne. Rover ignored Yvonne, continuing to run around the field to dodge the electric attacks. The dog whimpered and whined, running circles around the Pichu. Trying to follow the dog, the Pichu grew dizzy and fell over. It was a delicate Pokemon, so the fall did a lot of damage to it. But it still hadn't fainted yet.

Rover had stopped, trotting lightly over to the dazed Pichu and sniffing it with his wet nose.

"Rover, finish it off while you can! Why aren't you listening to me?" shouted Yvonne.

Amari grimaced, wishing she had trained more with Rover. He only knew three moves, but Yvonne didn't know that.

"Use Faint attack! Or Sand attack? What about Crunch…?" Yvonne stared at Rover, puzzled. Why didn't this Pokemon follow her orders?

"I know! He used Bite against Tsunami in that one battle… Rover, Bite!" Rover jerked his head over at Yvonne, wagged his tail, and turned back to the Pichu. He gave the small Pokemon a good chomp in the stomach. Pichu finally lay completely limp; it has passed out.

"Rover beat Leah's last Pokemon! Yvonne did it! _We're advancing to the next round!_" shouted Aaron, standing up and cheering loudly. Geki stayed in his seat, eyes distant; but he clapped his hands all the same, to show a little bit of gratitude towards Yvonne. Amari's mouth gaped open, surprised that her dog had actually beaten a Pichu.

"C'mon, guys! We're celebrating tonight with the other Teams that won!" She and Aaron ran down and congratulated Yvonne, losing Geki in the crowd.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll catch up," Aaron assured her when she brought it up. Yvonne and Aaron dragged her off to socialize with the other winning teams. Everything from that moment on was a blur as Amari battled the countless emotions inside her: shock, elation, apprehension, eagerness, smugness, anger, and worry for the newly evolved Weepinbell. Even through all the festivities, she couldn't help but notice how Geki was mysteriously absent from the celebration, never showing up once.


End file.
